Fate is a Strange Thing
by Kaostryker
Summary: A series of one-shots focusing on my Skyrim characters and how I imagine they would act around each other. Only one Dragonborn, however. Rated T because of reasons I'm not getting into.


_"Our Hero, Our Hero, claims a warrior's heart._

_I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes._

_With a Voice wielding power of the ancient Nord art._

_Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes._

_It's an end to the evil, of all Skyrim's foes._

_Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes._

_For the darkness has passed, and the legend yet grows._

_You'll know, you'll know the Dragonborn comes."_

A Dark Elf bard sang over her lute. A Khajiit drank a mug of water. His fur was a gray and white majority. Black tiger like stripes covered his face. His eyes were gray with a black slit pupil. Each of his ears had three gold rings in them. He was equal in size to an Orcish warrior. This resulted in his sitting alone at the counter.

A drunken Nord wobbled over and sat heavily in the seat next to the Khajiit. "Filthy house cat, get your hide out of here and go back to your caravan!" he mumbled over his mug. He waved it in front of him and the mead inside sloshed all over the counter in front of him. The cat like person just took another sip from his mug and tore into a loaf of bread.

"I fail to see how I am causing trouble." he replied after swallowing. The Nord gave him a sideways look before glaring.

"We don't need your kind here! All you do is cause trouble for us hard working citizens! Just like you Dark Elves." he said loudly to the bard. The Khajiit just sighed and set his bread back down. The Nord stood up and slammed his mug on the counter, showering gray fur in amber liquid.

His outburst earned a hardy laugh from his drinking buddies. One of them threw a tomato at the Dunmer, another way of addressing the Dark Elves. A knife caught the tomato mid-flight. The one who threw the fruit looked and saw the Khajiit with an arm raised. "No need to get violent." he said, reaching for his drink. The Nord next to him hit it and sent it flying across the room. The contents rained down on the floor boards.

This earned another round of laughs. The Khajiit stood up and turned to face the Nord. He stood a head higher than most of his kind. "Why did you do that, drunkard." he said, voice and tone level. Though he was calm everyone went silent and watched the two.

"I don't have to do nothing you ask!" he snapped back.

"I wasn't asking." was the reply. The humanoid cat leaned closer to the belligerent drunk. He gulped and took a step back. The Khajiit blinked slowly. "Either explain and apologize, or get hurt."

"You threatening me cat?!"

"I'm giving you a choice." The Khajiit said in his same level tone. The Nord raised his fists, ready to defend himself. "You chose wrong." The Khajiit's own fist flew up and slammed into the drunkard's chin, causing him to stagger back a few feet. A booted foot kicked a pale skinned leg out before the Nord got flipped over. He hit the floor hard and curled into a ball, groaning in pain.

"Thank you for your hospitality." the Khajiit said bowing his head. He dropped a small coin purse on the counter and left the tavern. The cold, brisk air wrapped around him as he bent down and picked up a sack with three cloth wrapped shapes tied to it. Windhelm, the city led by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, home to most of the 'true Nords' of Skyrim.

"Do not worry, Cecelia. I will be home soon, with enough gold to pay off our debts. I hope you are safe, little sister." he whispered to himself. He started toward the city gates when someone ran past him.

She was a short Nord woman with fiery red hair, ruby red lips and similarly colored war paint. She wore a gray, skin tight suit. "Damn kids... you get back here with those!" she yelled. The Khajiit just blinked and continued walking.

The short walk ended soon as the city gates opened. He stepped through them, to the snow covered land of Skyrim's northern reaches. The Khajiit walked, slowly, across a stone bridge. The line of traffic was small as usual, only guards patrolling the stretch of carved rock. They gave the bulky feline a wide berth, most likely out of fear.

A carriage driver was waiting near the Windhelm stables in a heavy fur coat. A High Elf with short brown hair sat in the back. She wore orange mage robes. A book was in her hands. "Excuse me sir. Is your carriage still for hire?" he asked as he approached.

"Depends on where you want to head." he grunted with a loud yawn.

"Somewhere that isn't here." he handed the man a pouch of coins and walked around the back of the carriage. He climbed in and sat across from the High Elf. The things he was carrying found themselves in a seat next to him.

"I apologize in advance if I disturb you at any time miss."

"Oh, believe me. You wouldn't be able to disturb me if you tried. What's your name?" she asked.

"I am Ra'Feal Moon-pie. My ancestors were famous for their pastries and they lived in a village that had a long night season. And you are?"

"I'm Tanya Goldberry. My ancestors were well known in the Mage's Guild for a few generations. Then they dropped out of the history books. I'm currently travelling as a mage, practicing my magic." the Elf said politely.

"What led you to this province?" he inquired curiously. She looked up from the book she was reading and snapped it shut.

"You have more manners then most Khajiit. I find that refreshing. I came to Skyrim to visit the College of Winterhold. I just got off a boat a few hours ago. I've been waiting here since. You don't look like a thief, what's your story?" she leaned on forward and rested her chin in her palm.

"I came to Skyrim for a chance to earn some gold, return home, repay some debts and free my sister. Only... the debts seemed to increase since I left. My brother had a bit of a gambling problem; I was travelling at the time. They killed him and took her, as she inherited his debt. I am only trying to help her." Ra'Feal said somewhat bitterly.

"And how much is this debt?" Tanya asked carefully.

"One hundred and fifty thousand gold, it increased by more than half." The Elf's golden eyes popped out of her head. She coughed and went back to reading.

Ra'Feal got off the carriage on its next stop. The mage had fallen asleep about an hour away from Dawnstar. Ra'Feal immediately started south, into Skyrim's snow packed mountains. He puffed a hot breath into his grayish-green gauntlet. His armor was inspired by an Orcish smith, the one he learned most of his skills from, with a few minor adjustments. It was more streamline, no spikes aside from the ones residing on the shoulders. He left those to assist in breaking down wooden barriers, though his size and the armor's weight was more than enough for that task.

"The winters of this land are unforgiving." he said to the white blanket around him. He sank knee deep with each step taken. Silence engulfed his figure but he felt something collide with his back. He looked over his shoulder in an attempt to identify the source.

He saw a rogue mage behind him, heat rising from his hand. An iron dagger was in his other hand. "Give me what you're carrying, and I promise you'll live to see tomorrow." the man shouted over the raging winds. Ra'Feal turned to face him.

"You can have my things when you pry them from my corpse." the Khajiit yelled back. The man lobbed another fireball at Ra'Feal, who just held his hand up. The spell hit and dispersed over his open palm. He unraveled the cloth around his possessions. A golden great sword and a green angular shield found their way on his back. An odd shaped sword now rested on his right hip. He started advancing on his attacker.

The mage sheathed his dagger and started throwing fireballs from his hands, each one having the same effect as the first few or lack thereof. The mage raised both arms and brought them down swiftly. The snow flew up and started swirling around him, cutting off visibility for both people. Ra'Feal started sprinting, hopping in and out of the snow with each step. The mage looked horrified as the armor clad feline's shoulder slammed into his chest. Blood erupted from the wound and the Khajiit snapped his arm backward, throwing the man off.

Ra'Feal took the sword off his back and put him out of his misery. "Find peace in death." he said replacing the great sword. He turned his back to the village and continued on his journey to the south. The Khajiit knelt down and closed his eyes, deep in thought. He heard something similar to a thunderclap before something collided with him. He toppled over, covered in snow. He growled and stood up. A splash of red also emerged from the powder.

"What in Oblivion are you wearing?!" she stated loudly.

"You should watch where you're running." he told her with a glare. His ears were flat to his skull. She turned to face him. A hand flew to her head as she collapsed into the snow. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you feeling ill?" The Khajiit picked her up, bridal style, and started back toward Dawnstar. Her face was contorted in pain and her breaths were irregular.

"Od... ah...viing," she mumbled weakly. A clap of thunder followed her words. Ra'Feal looked down at her confused and concerned. A roar tore through the sky and a black shape sped toward the two. It landed a few feet behind Ra'Feal, kicking up vast amounts of snow and other objects. He set the girl down and turned to face the thing.

Its red scaled face snarled the Khajiit down. Its body covered in the same blood color, blue wings turned white down the middle and torn from age. It raised its head, inhaling deeply. It roared and the blizzard ceased. The sky cleared up, revealing a bright sun and crimson stained snow. "Did you harm the Dovahkiin?" it asked Ra'Feal, who just put a hand on his great sword's hilt. "Did you harm her, Kaaz?!" the beast roared. It took a step closer.

"I do not know what you are talking about, dragon." the gray cat growled. He looked over his shoulder and noticed crimson snow around the Nord woman. He ran over and knelt by her. Her pale face was whiter than normal."Miss, are you alright? Why are you bleeding?"

The dragon narrowed its eyes and flew off, kicking up more snow and blocking the sight of it. The High Elf, Tanya, ran over and pushed Ra'Feal out of the way. A golden light appeared in her hand and she held it over the injured Nord. "Your armor must have hurt her when she ran into you. I was trying to get a room in the inn, but they suggested I go somewhere else." she said sourly.

"What are you doing to her?" Ra'Feal asked.

"Healing her wound, I'm a mage as I mentioned." came the reply. The longer the spell went on, the more she seemed to come back to life.

The small Nord coughed and her eyes fluttered open. She sat up, gently touching her chest. "What happened..?" she asked quietly. She looked around and saw the two. She rolled backward and she unsheathed a sword."Who are you two?!" she snapped.

"My name's Tanya and this is Ra'Feal." the High Elf said indicating the two she was talking about. Ra'Feal bowed his head slightly

"You are wounded. It is unwise to be moving so carelessly." The Khajiit said simply. The Nord's eyes scanned them. She must have decided they weren't immediate threats because she relaxed slightly.

"Cynthia." she told the two. She took a better look at her surroundings. "What are you two doing this far north?"

"I'm a mercenary and I'm travelling around searching for work." The gray feline said.

"I'm a mage, currently under no master. I'm making my way towards the college of Winterhold, and what of you?" The Elf explained.

"I... just wanted to see someone." she whispered. "My parents were buried in the area. We didn't leave on very good terms... and I wanted to make things right."

"You said something in a language I could not recognize. I believe it was Ode Thaw Wing." Ra'Feal told her. "And then something that looked like a dragon appeared and it said 'Dovahkiin' and 'Kaaz'."

"Odahviing... I didn't mean to call him. But I must've said that if he came, as for what he said, he was addressing us. Both of those words are in the Dragon tongue. Kaaz, I'm unfamiliar with... but Dovahkiin means Dragonborn." Cynthia explained quickly.

"It also made the snow stop." Ra'Feal said just as the storm was closing in again.

"We should get some shelter until the weather clears naturally. I'll explain when we have a fire."

Ra'Feal stared at Cynthia. "I believe you said you'd explain." he said but is answered by the Nord's loud snoring. Ra'Feal sighed and looked at Tanya. "I am unsure about you, but I feel like she made a promise. I want to know how she knows of the language."

"Agreed, she may hold more of the mysteries of magic." Tanya replied. Ra'Feal sighed and looked at Cynthia. It seems he wouldn't be able to earn much money now, not until he had his answer at least.

_Author's Note: This is just something I wrote after playing hours of Skyrim. If you want to read some stuff I worked on/my friends stuff: just search Elsword - The Demon Hunters. And be sure to check out the other stuff that guy wrote. Shameless advertising, I know but he's my buddy._

_See you all later. Good luck with your projects._


End file.
